Track 2: Social Media in Organisations and Society

Over the last decade, use of social media has grown exponentially. Businesses and their supply chains utilise social media to create new operational practices, decision-making processes and strategies. Social media has transformed the social power relations between organisations and their stakeholders. Consumers are actively involved in the communication about products and services. Many organisations use ‘prosumer’ knowledge to redesign product and service functionality. In addition, social media facilitates business-to-business communication and coordination.

The same opportunities that have facilitated profound changes in organisations have also transformed the lives of people in societies globally. Social media platforms are used to assist people in connecting to various communities, enabling them to have a voice politically, or improve their safety and security. At the same time, there has been a blurring of the boundaries between business and personal realms. Businesses and societies face enormous challenges presented by the dark side of these technologies. These very same platforms can facilitate unethical organisational behaviour, hide terrorism or promote hate speech and so-called “fake news” by creating socially exclusive echo chambers.

This track explores the intersection of social media platforms and social media use in organisational and societal contexts.

Suggested Topics include but are not limited to:

Social Media: Organisational and Technical Systems

B2C, B2B, B2E, B2G et al models and applications

Social media, digital business, social commerce and collaboration

Social media and decision making, social media and knowledge management